


Honey

by BirdOfHermes



Series: Fuck Subtle [4]
Category: The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher
Genre: Banter, Biting, Black Character(s), Childhood Trauma, Crush at First Sight, Crushes, Cunnilingus, Domestic Fluff, Drunken Confessions, Elementary School, Eventual Romance, Explicit Consent, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fluff without Plot, Friends to Lovers, Interracial Relationship, Mutual Pining, Mutually Unrequited, Oral Sex, POV First Person, Parenthood, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romantic Fluff, Rough Kissing, Rough Sex, Safe Sane and Consensual, Single Parents, Songfic, Sweet/Hot, Trust Issues, Unrequited Crush, Voice Kink, teacher
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:37:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23403097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BirdOfHermes/pseuds/BirdOfHermes
Summary: Maggie Dresden's teacher, Natalie Kingston, thinks Maggie might need to skip a grade, just as Harry is able to be back in Maggie's life, so she calls a meeting with him to work on the little girl's future. But it turns out maybe the two of them also have a future. Post Skin Game AU.
Relationships: Harry Dresden/OFC, Harry Dresden/Original Female Character, Harry/OFC
Series: Fuck Subtle [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2025994
Comments: 22
Kudos: 51





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I...don't even fucking know.
> 
> Right, so, this sort of came about when I was reading comments on my ficlet 'P.T.A.' in the Landfill Heaven collection and now it's just run away from home, screaming bloody murder. I really have no idea what I'm going for here, but so far, it's kind of cute and enjoyable. 
> 
> This is AU in the sense that Harry and Murphy decided not to pursue anything in previous books, so Harry is single with no attachments. Some events naturally would have occurred differently if that were the case, but use your imagination.
> 
> I apologize in advance that I am making this shit up about elementary school. If you are a teacher, please God, ignore me and don't browbeat me about all the inaccuracies. I'm also trying to calculate Maggie's age. She should be around ten years old, so that would put her in around third grade? I think? I'm trying to keep it vague just so I don't fuck up here, but just keep that in mind. 
> 
> And yes, sue me, I like writing Harry Dresden with pretty black girls. Come at me, scrublords, I'm ripped.

_Honey molasses_

_Ebony majestry_

_Chocolate brown sugar_

_Sweet epiphany_

_-"Honey Molasses" by Jill Scott_

Elementary school teachers are used to a lot of really weird shit.

But I had to admit that Mr. Harry Dresden threw me for a loop.

Let me back up a bit. Mr. Dresden was the father of Maggie Dresden, one of the brightest but most troubled children in my class. Almost every teacher I knew had mental categories for their kids: below average, average, and shining stars. Maggie was a shining star in everything except socialization. She was incredibly smart, devouring books by the dozen and presenting the most astounding understanding of them. She was also very artistically and creatively inclined, painting and drawing things someone at least two grades ahead of her hadn’t mastered just yet. However, her guardians, Charity and Michael Carpenter, had told me that the reason she scored so low in social activities was unfortunately due to a trauma she had survived when she was small. They’d taken her to the best doctors they could find and while the darling didn’t have PTSD, her psyche had suffered from whatever violent act she’d witnessed. Maggie rarely liked to speak to the other children, though she talked easily to me, and preferred to play with her emotional support dog, Mouse.

For the record, I was not a dog person.

Until Mouse.

Mouse was an incredible dog. I’d never seen such an intelligent, obedient, but playful animal. Her classmates loved him as well and he had his own sort of authority in the room, sort of like my furry assistant. If the class got too loud and wasn’t listening, he’d bark once, and they’d all quiet down. It was a relief to have him around, for I could always threaten that if they weren’t good, Mouse wouldn’t come out to recess with them.

Some months into the fall, the Carpenters came with some very interesting news: Mr. Dresden had been able to work out a split custody deal, so he would be able to be in Maggie’s life at last. From my understanding, and from what Maggie herself told me, he often visited and kept her at his apartment on weekends, but he hadn’t gotten himself back on his feet until now. It was excellent timing, too. I’d been working with my superiors to recommend that Maggie be moved up another grade so that she was receiving more challenging materials and developing her sharp little mind. I also thought she would be more comfortable with an older group, even with the challenges she faced from her lack of social skills.

So I set up my first parent-teacher conference with Mr. Dresden.

He was late.

Which didn’t bode well.

But I tried to keep an open mind.

Sighing, I checked my watch again. He had five minutes before I gave up, dammit. I didn’t have much of a home life, but I’d learned not to waste any extra time on rude parents. There were a few kids in my class whose parents I wished I could punt into Lake Michigan and I wouldn’t be surprised if Mr. Dresden became one of them. Sadly, when it came to parenting people often disappointed.

I got up and went over to the coffee maker I kept in the corner, too high for the kiddos to reach and fool with. I muttered uncharitable things about him under my breath before taking the first sip. As I did, I heard the door open and a surprisingly pleasant baritone voice filled the air.

“Mrs. Kingston?”

“Ms. Kingston,” I said as I stirred in some sugar, not turning around. “Which one of these old biddies lied and said I was married?”

That velvet baritone voice let out a short laugh. “My mistake, ma’am. I must have misheard. I’m very sorry for being late. I sort of had an incident on the way here.”

Hmph. Well, he was late, but at least he knew how to apologize. I took a deep breath and reached for my endless pool of patience. “Well, as long as it doesn’t become a habit, I forgive you.”

“I’ll do my best, ma’am.”

I turned around.

And almost dropped my fucking coffee.

Oh, my.

Harry Dresden was a _catch._

Not in the traditional sense, mind you. When most women think ‘handsome,’ they think of Denzel Washington or Cary Grant or Chris Hemsworth. Mr. Dresden wasn’t quite handsome, but he was in a similar ballpark, at least in my humble opinion. He was obscenely tall—which had always been a secret thing with me—and had a dark hair, dark eyes combo. His hair wasn’t neat, but it had been washed recently and was tousled as if he’d rushed his way down the hallway, so it stuck up a bit in the front. He had stubble across a sharp, square jaw and a scar running through one eyebrow. I spotted more scars over his knuckles and what appeared to be a set across his wrists as well. His lips looked very soft and they gave his face a sincere quality, as did the small smile he offered. He wore a plain blue cotton t-shirt with the Avengers logo on the front, faded jeans, and not a half-bad pair of casual dress shoes. He also had a plain leather jacket over the ensemble, and notable jewelry: a silver necklace with a star and a red gem in the center, rings on each finger, and a silver bracelet with weird little charms on it.

Well, it wasn’t like I’d expected Maggie to have a typical beer-gut, balding father, but damn.

“Uh,” I said, blinking up at him in a stunned stupor. I rebooted my brain and licked my lips, continuing past the verbal faux pas. “Hi.”

He smiled and offered me a small white carton. I took it, glancing down. He’d bought me a chocolate cupcake. That was…insanely cute. “Hi.”

“Uh.” I jerked a thumb behind me. “Coffee?”

“That would be great, thank you.”

I turned and felt my cheeks flushing madly. Okay, no big deal. I’d seen attractive fathers before. It didn’t mean anything at all. It was just…unexpected. He was outright striking to look at and I’d have to talk to the man about his kid for the foreseeable future. I couldn’t tell if I was happy or sad about it. Maybe he’d say something stupid and that would cure me. I decided to try it out. I’d give him The Test.

“How do you take it?”

A few dads would make cringeworthy, borderline sexist jokes when I said that. It was always some variation of ‘I take it like I take my women: hot and bitter!” or something along those lines. It made it extra awkward being a black woman, too, so if they made an ill-advised pun about ‘black coffee’ I basically decided they were an idiot.

“Cream and thirty-seven sugars.”

I laughed in surprise, lifting an eyebrow as I looked at him over my shoulder. “Wait, is that from the Justice League cartoon?”

Mr. Dresden grinned, his brown eyes twinkling with delight. “Why, yes, it is. Wow. No one ever catches that.”

“Well, it was on quite a long time ago comparatively speaking.” I gave him a good, unhealthy dollop of cream and sugar and handed the paper cup to him. He thanked me and pulled up a normal sized chair in front of my desk. I sat and put my prized cupcake next to the paperwork. “Thanks for the cupcake.”

“It was the least I could do for being late,” he said, frowning a bit. “Really, I try not to make bad first impressions. My reputation usually takes care of that already.”

“Oh, I know,” I said, unable to help a bit of a teasing smile. “You’re a wizard, right?”

He grunted. “That’s what it says on my underwear.”

He then straightened and turned a bit pink, as if he’d said it on reflex and then realized how it sounded. “Ah, wow, that was inappropriate as hell. Sorry.”

I tried not to laugh. “I’ve heard much worse within these four walls, don’t worry.”

“Even so, again, sorry. I’m a little on edge here. Never done this before.”

I smiled. “It shows.”

He scowled. “Hey. You don’t get to make fun until I say something stupider than that. Two time’s the charm, Ms. Kingston.”

“Natalie,” I corrected. “If you don’t mind.”

“I don’t, in fact. What is it that I can do for you, Natalie?”

“Show up on time to our next meeting.”

He smiled and nodded once. “Done.”

“Thank you,” I said crisply, reaching for my papers. “Mr. Dresden, I’m happy to say that I’ve called this meeting with good news. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with Maggie. She’s a brilliant child and one of my favorites that I’ve taught so far.”

Warmth emanated from him, even though he hadn’t done anything other than smile a little wider. Pride shone in his eyes. “Wow, that’s great to hear. Thank you.”

I couldn’t help but smile back. “You’re welcome. I would like to see if you’re interested in advancing her to the next grade ahead of an average student’s schedule. Have the Carpenters kept you updated on her grades?”

“I think I’m missing the last couple of progress reports and homework grades,” he admitted. I handed him her test scores. He actually read them, didn’t glance over them like some other parents when I had to review the bad grades. He seemed genuinely interested. “Wow, this is excellent. So you think she should skip a grade?”

“Not so much skip it,” I said. “I think she would be more comfortable and more able to learn in an environment with older children. I think her classmates are contributing to why she can be very quiet and withdrawn. She excels at all her work to a point that I worry she isn’t being challenged and I certainly don’t want her to feel chained down by the system. It’s very important at this age to encourage curiosity and nurture her intelligence. She asks a lot of questions that her classmates won’t be thinking about for a couple of years, in fact.”

He nodded seriously. “Yeah, she’s hit me with a few before too. I’m always amazed at what she knows and what she’s able to understand. It’s incredible, given the circumstances.”

I cocked my head slightly. “Given what circumstances?”

“The fact that I am a complete and utter _dumbass.”_

I tried not to laugh. It didn’t work. I laughed so hard I snorted. It wasn’t my fault, honest. There were very few parents willing to admit such a thing. I covered my mouth to smother the rest of my giggles and shook my head. “Sorry, that was unprofessional.”

“No need to apologize,” he said easily, smirking in victory that he’d gotten me to lose my composure. “I figured you’d want the truth. You’re a teacher, after all. I can’t imagine how many parents lying through their teeth that you have to listen to on a weekly basis.”

I groaned into my coffee. “You have no idea, Mr. Dresden.”

“Harry,” he insisted this time, handing me the papers back. “Only Mouse calls me Mr. Dresden.”

“I love that dog,” I said seriously. “Honestly, I love him better than half the class.”

This time, he laughed. It was a rich, but genuine sound, just as pleasant as his speaking voice. “He’s the best. But I promise not to tell anyone the truth.”

“You are sworn to secrecy. So we have some next steps in place if we want to advance Maggie and I can get them started. Most importantly, I would like you to introduce the idea to her and let me know what she says. I won’t move her if she’s not ready or if she would like to stay where she is. I’m happy giving her extra work to help her grow in the meantime.” I handed him a little binder. “This has most of the information about the grade we would be advancing her to and the sort of things she would be learning. I’d like you to read that and get back to me next week if you’re free.”

I almost frowned at myself. That sounded too much like a date. Damn. I’d started slipping.

“Next week should be alright,” Harry agreed, to my relief. “Same time and place? Well, earlier so that I’m not late?”

“That works, yes.” I handed him my card. “If you need to change your appointment, that’s my classroom number. I can leave a personal one if need be.”

_Goddammit, Natalie! Stop lowkey flirting with him!_

“This is fine, don’t worry. Hopefully there won’t be a reason to call you at home. Teachers have more homework than students, after all. I’d hate to interrupt your personal life.”

I squinted up at him as he stood. “Bold of you to assume that I have one.”

He rubbed his chin. “Well, you did understand my Justice League reference, so maybe you have a point.”

I scowled. “Oh, you owe me another cupcake for that one, buster.”

Harry grinned. “Yes ma’am.”

He brandished the binder. “Thank you. This is a tremendous help.”

“You’re welcome, Harry.”

“Take it easy, Natalie.”

“Same to you.” He waved and shut the door behind him as he left. I drummed my fingers on the top of my desk, eyeing the cupcake. I tried to stay away from sweets, but…well…

I popped it open and took a bite. I shut my eyes. “Oh my God, this is better than sex. I’m doomed.”

* * *

“Alright, Nat,” I said into the small mirror on the cabinet above the coffeemaker. “You are going to be a goddamn professional. You will not flirt. You will not swoon. You will treat this man exactly like every other parent of every other kid in your class. Do you hear me, woman?”

I eyed myself, confirming my resolve.

And then I put on more lip gloss.

Because I am a fucking hypocrite.

I mean, it wasn’t a crime to look cute, damn it all. I hadn’t done anything wrong, per se. I just…looked slightly more attractive this time around. No harm in that, right? I’d done a full blowout for my hair instead of popping it underneath a head scarf. For once, my hair cooperated and flowed out around me in a pretty, soft halo with natural volume. I didn’t do makeup in my day to day, just the gloss for a bit of color and to keep my lips moisturized, so at least I didn’t seem as if I were trying too hard.

Sigh.

My goose was already cooked, wasn’t it?

I poured myself some coffee and took my seat, checking my watch. A minute ‘til. Mr. Dresden was about to break his promise to me. What a shocker.

I rolled my eyes at myself. No idea why I always thought people would be different. Or more precisely, men. By now, I’d gotten used to the disappointment, but sometimes it still bothered me and—

I perked up as I heard rapid footsteps. Exactly ten seconds before our appointment time, Harry Dresden burst into the room, disheveled and a bit flustered. He let out a whoosh of air and eyed the clock. “Made it by the skin of my teeth. Evening, Natalie.”

I shook my head and smiled as he shut the door. “Evening, Harry.”

He offered the same white carton, but this time containing a strawberries-and-cream cupcake inside it. “Thank you. Have a seat.”

“Don’t mind if I do.” He grabbed a chair and flopped into it as much as a guy who was almost seven feet tall possibly could.

“Coffee?”

“Yes, please, if it’s not too much trouble.”

I snorted as I rose and poured a cup. “Why do I get the feeling you’re always trouble?”

Harry chuckled. With that voice, the sound was as appealing as warm caramel. Damn it, woman. Focus. “You must have good instincts.”

I passed him the coffee after fixing it with cream and sugar and returned to my seat. “Did you have time to review the binder?”

“Yes,” he said, scooting forward a bit after taking a sip. “I was hoping you could answer some questions for me.”

“Happy to help.”

I found myself surprised yet again. Harry asked intelligent, legitimate questions about what it would entail to move Maggie through to another grade. It was a comfort to see such investment. I was glad he decided to take it seriously.

“How did she take the news?” I asked.

“She’s…tossing the idea around,” he admitted, rubbing his neck. “It’s tough for her to move on to something unfamiliar. She can get kind of skittish.”

“Understandable. I had an idea that I’d like to run by you.”

“Sure.”

“I’d like to take her to sort of shadow and participate in one of the classes that she’d be taking. It would be for a short session, maybe just fifteen to thirty minutes so she doesn’t feel overwhelmed or abandoned. She could take a look at the environment and the materials to see if they interest her.”

“Actually, I think that’s a great idea. It would also make her feel like it’s her decision and not ours. I’m sure you’re very aware of that stubborn streak she’s got.”

I lifted my eyebrows. “I wonder where that comes from.”

“Yeah, no clue,” Harry said, slurping his coffee comically loud and avoiding my gaze.

“Uh-huh.” I wrote out a few notes for myself. “What subject do you think she’d be most comfortable in if we take her to a class?”

“Probably either art or literature. She eats up books so fast I’m making weekly library trips to keep up with her. Kid’s a regular Matilda Wormwood.”

I smiled fondly. “That’s not far off, actually.”

Harry gave me a slow smile right back. “Does that make you Miss Honey?”

Pause for a heart attack. I couldn’t speak for a second. What a lovely thing to say. I actually adored that story, in book and movie form. Get it together, Nat.

“Well,” I said as I sat back in my chair and gave him a cool stare. “It’s either her or Miss Trunchbull, and I don’t think I’d look all that great with knee socks and a shotput.”

He gave me that warm laugh again. “Now there’s a fun mental image.”

“Don’t let this sweet smile fool you,” I said, raising an eyebrow. “I can get pretty vicious if someone messes with my munchkins. I’d happily yeet someone across the yard if they went after them.”

“Yeet?” He blinked at me.

“Ah,” I said. “I watch entirely too many Internet videos being a teacher. Let’s plan for Maggie to go to an art class next Friday. We can both see what she says afterward and move from there. Sound good?”

“Sounds great. Thank you for taking her education so seriously. It’s really important to me that she gets everything she needs. It’s tough on a kid growing with just one parent, you know?”

I nodded. “If it’s any consolation, she’s perked up so much since you’ve been here. She’s much more responsive and she doesn’t depend on Mouse quite as much. I’m glad it’s working out for you two.”

Harry blew out a breath. “You make it sound like I have any idea what the hell I’m doing. I really don’t. I’m just winging it at this point.”

“Maybe you are, but that’s kids for you. I don’t think any of us really knows for sure what’s the best course of action.” I paused, examining him. “But you listen to her. And that’s huge for a kid. Most of the troubled ones have parents that ignore them or dismiss how they feel, thinking they’re too small for their emotions to be important yet. Maggie is shy, but she does say how she feels. She doesn’t lie. That tells me that you’re honest with her, and so are the Carpenters. You’re on the right track, trust me.”

“God, I hope so.” He smiled again. “So same time next week?”

“Yeah, that works.”

Harry grinned. “Should I bring another cupcake?”

“Not unless you’re apologizing for something. Or asking me out.”

I froze.

Shit.

You absolute _moron._

I slammed my eyes shut and cringed. “Sorry. That was a joke. A terrible, terrible joke.”

He chuckled. “Well, I made a bad one last time, so I think we’re even.”

I peeked at him with one eye. “You sure you’re not gonna report me?”

Harry gave me an offended look. “What kind of parents do you usually hang out with?”

“You don’t want me to answer that question.”

“Point taken. In case you haven’t noticed, I have a smart mouth and I’d be the world’s biggest hypocrite if I tattled on you for cracking a joke.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “Even so. My bad. That was…in poor taste. You have no idea how bad it is around here with parents fooling around with teachers.”

His eyebrows lifted. “That bad, huh?”

“Ugh. If these walls could talk, they’d be screaming ‘cut out my eyes!’”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously. It’s scandalous.”

Harry shook his head in disbelief. “I tip my hat to you. That’s got to be hell to put up with. You must have to beat them off with a stick twenty-four-seven.”

“Ha! You kidding me? With this Resting Bitch Face?” I gave him my mean mug. “They’re too terrified to even try it.”

“That is exceptional,” he commended me. “Well done.”

“Thank you. I’ve sent grown men screaming. True story.”

“Then we’re going to get along great,” Harry concluded before finishing his coffee and rising to his big feet. “Because so have I.”

“Well, you are the size of a small tree, Mr. Dresden.”

“Appropriate since I’m…” He paused enough to waggle his eyebrows. _“Leaving.”_

I covered my face with both hands and groaned hard. “Get out before I kill you.”

“And now I owe you an apology!” he said cheerfully. “Mission accomplished.”

I shook my head. “Good night, Harry.”

He winked at me over his shoulder before he left. “Good night, Miss Honey.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natalie and Harry continue working on helping Maggie, and consequently, themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahaha this is how I deal with massive amounts of fucking stress, everybody.

“Well, Maggie, what did you think?” I asked as I shut the door to the classroom behind us and guided her down the hallway. Mouse kept pace to her right, his tail wagging, happy to see me again but also happy to be moving about. He was a patient dog, but he loved a good walk.

Maggie was slightly taller than the girls her age by now and had the same wily mop and eye color as her father, but her skin was a couple shades darker, and her features hinted that her mother had also been lovely. I’d only heard her name spoken aloud by the Carpenters. Maggie didn’t like to talk about her.

“It was kind of hard,” Maggie said. She paused. “But sometimes I like that. We were drawing a building.”

“I see. What building did you draw?”

“I didn’t draw a building,” she said. “I drew the Bean.”

I chuckled. The kid had an anti-authoritarian streak a mile wide. She heavily disliked following orders, yet she always figured out a way to satisfy the rules in another way. “Ah.”

She grinned up at me. “Did you know it’s not actually a bean? People just call it that because the guy who made it was a big jerk to the art community, so they call it that just to make him mad.”

I grinned right back at her. “Yep. Nothing quite like petty revenge.”

Maggie giggled. “Well, anyway. It was nice to draw it. Mouse liked the art supplies. He said they smell funny, but in a good way. He wants to do some paw painting.”

“I think that’s very doable,” I said, reaching over to tweak his fluffy tail. Mouse sent me an adoring doggy grin, his brown eyes excited. I couldn’t prove it, of course, but I was sure he understood English. “Would you like to try coming to this class another day?”

“Maybe,” she said. “I wanna talk to Dad about it first.”

“A wise decision. Always good to get a second opinion.”

“He’s good at advice. Not always, but sometimes.”

“Good. I’m glad you can talk to him about things that matter to you.”

“What do you think?” she asked, stopping once we’d returned to the classroom.

“About what?”

“My dad.”

“I think he’s very funny,” I said honestly, which made her smile a bit. “And I think he’s really excited about being with you.”

“He’s really dorky,” Maggie told me. “And he doesn’t always get things the first time. But he tries a lot. Until he gets something right.”

I winked at her. “That sounds like someone I know.”

I opened the door for her. “Now scoot. Let’s get ready for lunch.”

* * *

“Nat?”

I glanced up to see Winona in the doorway. She was a willowy blonde that reminded me of Helen Hunt, though with about a third of the wholesomeness, but that’s just my humble opinion. I dabble in being catty sometimes. “Yes?”

“What are you still doing here?” she asked, glancing at the analog clock on the wall. “You’re usually gone by now.”

“Oh, I’ve got a short meeting with Maggie Dresden’s father.”

“Ooh,” she said, her grey eyes lighting up with interest. “Really? What’s he like?”

“Well, if you don’t skidaddle, you’re gonna find out,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “We have an appointment in just a few minutes.”

She pouted at me. “Oh, come on, what’s he like? Let me sneak a peek at least.”

I tried not to sigh. “Fine, fine, I’ll introduce you when he gets here.”

“Yay!”

She scurried over to the mirror and did a bit of preening while I continued grading papers. This time, Harry arrived a whole thirty seconds early. “Evening, Natalie.”

“Evening, Harry.” I gestured to the blonde. “This is Ms. Franklin, she’s Maggie’s math teacher.”

Harry smiled and offered his free hand, the other holding my cupcake. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Franklin.”

She let out a trilling laugh and spun her hair around a finger. “Please, call me Winona. That’s quite a grip you’ve got there. Can’t imagine what you must bench press.”

I tried not to grind my teeth. “Winona, dear, we do have a meeting to get to.”

“Oh, yes, of course, silly me. You have a lovely daughter, Mr. Dresden.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll leave you kids alone, then. Have a good night!” She sashayed away, her hips more wiggly than a carton of Jello, pausing in the doorway while Harry’s back was still turned and mouthing, ‘Wow!’ before she shut the door. Lord. I was never going to hear the end of this.

“So,” Harry said, brown eyes gleaming as he offered me the cupcake. Pineapple upside down cupcake this time. Yum. “I take it word is getting around.”

“It will now,” I told him as I rose to make him some coffee. “The woman’s a chatterbox. She loves hot gossip.”

Harry snorted and thanked me for the coffee. “In what alternate dimension am I hot gossip?”

“The wizard thing, for one,” I said as I sat. “And not many parents here are private investigators either.”

“True enough, but I’m just as boring as the next guy. I like baseball games and I read books and I drink beer.”

I glanced at his washboard abs. “Clearly.”

He laughed in surprise. “Ah, well, my metabolism has to try to compensate for my height, so it’s not immediately noticeable. I promise that I’m no different from the other single dads out there.”

 _“Single?”_ I blurted out.

He lifted an eyebrow. “What?”

“You…” I tried to pick the most appropriate response before deciding there wasn’t one. “Sorry, that just caught me off-guard.”

“Is that unusual?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because, to use the teen slang these days, you’re a snack.”

Harry’s other eyebrow joined the first one. “A snack.”

“Yes,” I said matter-of-factly. “That’s why Winona was drooling all over you.”

Harry gave me a confused look and then glanced at the door. “Wait, she was into me?”

I buried my face in one hand. “Oh, dear Lord. Nevermind. That’s why you’re single.”

“Hey,” he said, offended. “That’s a bit harsh.”

“It’s still accurate. How has it escaped your notice that you’re an attractive man, Harry? Do wizards not own mirrors?”

“Actually no,” he admitted, blushing slightly, and it was cute as hell. “That’s a bit on the dangerous side.”

I stared at him, baffled, and he waved his hand. “Long story. Besides, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, remember?”

I rolled my eyes extremely hard. “Oh, good, and you’re modest too. I hate you and everything you stand for.”

“What did I do?”

“You’re making us all look bad,” I fussed. “You can’t come in here and be nice and charming and good with kids and still look the way you do. It’s rude as hell.”

He chuckled. “I’m sorry?”

“You are not the least bit sorry, sir.”

“I don’t see why you’re so sore about it.”

“Excuse me?”

He scowled. “Do _you_ own a mirror?”

“Yes, why?”

“You’re distractingly gorgeous, you know.”

“Yes, I am,” I sniffed. “I also have issues.”

“And you think I don’t?”

“Of course you do, but would it kill you to have a bad hair day? You’ve got to level the playing field or something.”

Harry smirked. “Fine. I’ll show up next week in sweatpants and Crocs. How’s that?”

I pictured Harry Dresden in sweatpants. Thank God for my brown skin, for my cheeks heated up intensely as I thought about…well…you know. Sweatpants left little to the imagination, and he had very big feet.

God, I’m going to hell.

“I think Winona would have a heart attack if you did that.”

“Yeah,” he drawled, lowering his lashes over his eyes in a teasing stare. “ _Winona_ would.”

I threw a paper clip at him and he just laughed. “ _Anyway,_ what did Maggie say?”

“She told me it was kind of tough, but it wasn’t bad,” Harry said. “She was a bit intimidated since the other kids knew more than her, but she said she got the hang of it after a while.”

“That’s fair,” I admitted. “If you’re used to an environment where you’re the smartest one there and then move somewhere else where that’s the status quo. It can be kind of disorienting. She said she wouldn’t mind trying it again. What do you think?”

“She seemed interested, at least. I think it would be a good idea to give it another shot, maybe this time with a literature class.”

“Good, I’ll get one scheduled.”

I made myself a note. “I’d also like to ask you if she’s expressed any interest in sports.”

Harry mulled it over. “I think she likes kickball and baseball, mostly.”

“Have you taken her to any baseball games?”

“A few, yeah.”

“I think sports might be a sneaky way to get her more social. It requires a level of trust to be built between the teammates, but it doesn’t feel so restrictive. She is actively contributing to a competition and I think she could be a good athlete if she can step outside of her shyness. She may feel more confident when her team wins.”

“That’s not a bad idea. I’ll check my schedule and the Carpenter’s as well to see if it could work out. I think maybe she’d do well in softball, but it’ll definitely take some convincing.”

“That’s okay, we don’t want to rush things.” I cocked my head slightly as I looked at him.

“What?”

“I’m torn. I sort of want to recommend that you attend a few PTA meetings so you can meet the coaches, but…” I snorted. “That’s throwing you to the sharks, basically.”

“Are you saying I’m not a shark? I’m hurt, Natalie.”

“As bad as Winona was…” I shuddered. “You have no idea what a single mother would do to you.”

He scooted his chair forward, grinning eagerly. “Well, don’t leave me in suspense.”

I scowled. “Oh, stop it, you.”

“It can’t be that bad.”

“Is that right?”

He just shrugged. “Alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

I wrote the date, time, and place on a sticky note and offered it to him. “Protip: don’t wear sweatpants. Or cologne. It’s blood in the water to them.”

“Uh-huh.” Harry tucked the sticky note in his pocket. “Do they expect you to show up at these things?”

“Naturally.”

He nodded. “Good. Then I know who to blame for this if everything goes tits up.”

I couldn’t resist. “I thought guys were into that.”

Harry flashed me a winsome smile. “Depends on the guy.”

He stood. “I’ll start on my homework, but in the meantime, guess I’ll see you there.”

“Your funeral,” I lilted.

“Eh, you only live once. Good night, Miss Honey.”

“Good night, Harry.”

* * *

To Harry’s credit, he didn’t wear cologne, as advised.

Too bad it didn’t help much.

He was only five minutes late to the PTA meeting, but it didn’t much matter. I could tell he’d been hunting for me, but since he’d been late, the seats near me were already taken, and by the time the meeting was over, it was a done deal. The single mothers flocked over to Harry like pigeons to breadcrumbs. I stood by the snack table, popping grapes into my mouth and laughing myself to death at the various bewildered expressions on his face as they doggedly pursued the poor man. The number of jealous husbands and single fathers on the outskirts glaring was equally funny.

I let him suffer for about a solid twenty minutes before deciding he needed rescuing, so I strategically wove into the small throng of desperate women and caught his arm. “Oh, Mr. Dresden, I’m afraid there’s some paperwork you forgot to sign. Would you follow me for a moment?”

“I’ll follow you into Hell,” he said under his breath. I hid a laugh behind clearing my throat and firmly led him away. The little hens weren’t too shy about spying, so I took him out of the gymnasium to a safer spot a couple hallways down in the teacher’s lounge. Most of my coworkers were still inside eating snacks and chatting, so we were safe for the moment, but I knew Winona would be hot on his trail now that he’d ditched the moms.

“I swear to God,” Harry said after I closed the door behind us. “I will believe every single thing you say from now on.”

I peered up at him. “You owe me ten-thousand dollars.”

Harry rifled through his pockets. “Do you take checks?”

I snorted. “I hate to say, ‘I told you so’ but…I told you so.”

“You did. Forgive me for doubting you, oh goddess of truth.”

I tried not to preen at such praise and failed miserably. “You are forgiven just this once, my humble servant.”

Harry shook his head as I headed over to the coffee pot and got it going. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Are they always like that?”

“Mostly yes. They can’t help it. There’s an unfortunate problem with the parents sleeping around and so this mysterious single dad shows up who doesn’t look and sound like the other ones and they can’t contain themselves. It’ll calm down a bit when the next cute stranger moves to town, though.”

“One can only hope. Thanks for the rescue.” He accepted the coffee and then gave me an arch look. “Though someone took their sweet time.”

“You had to learn your lesson,” I sniffed before drinking my own.

“Which was?”

“I am always right.”

“I’ll get it tattooed on my arm,” he said severely.

“Yes, those big muscle-y arms,” I said, batting my eyes and doing a passable imitation of Winona. “How much do you bench press, Mr. Dresden?”

He pursed his lips. “Hardy-har. Really, though, if she comes at me again, pretend you’re my girlfriend.”

“Oh God,” I groaned. “I’d never hear the end of it if I scooped up her new snack.”

Harry frowned. “Is that really what she thinks? That she’s in the running instead of you?”

That stopped me. “Ah, what?”

“Hypothetically speaking,” he clarified. “Does she think I’d go for her over you?”

“Tall, thin, blonde, puts out at the drop of a hat? Yes. That’s exactly what she thinks. And the single dads and cheating husbands have pretty much proven her right.”

“Sheesh,” he muttered. “The nerve of some people.”

“Not your type, huh?”

“No, she needs a soul first.”

I chuckled. “Well, if it helps, there are some less thirsty women about if you cared to take a look around at the dating pool. I don’t recommend it because it can get awkward, but I can introduce you to a few coworkers who actually have souls.”

“Mm, might not be the best idea. Especially if word got back to Maggie. You wouldn’t want some passive aggressive jilted date trying to take it out on her grades or something.”

“In a pig’s fucking eye,” I snapped before I could help it. “If I caught some witless chick trying to tank one of my kid’s grades, I’d drop kick her straight into Lake Michigan.”

Harry gave me an impressed look. “Took the words right out of my mouth. Though I tend to burn down buildings when I get mad.”

“Is that where this came from?” Without thinking, I lifted his hand, the one covered in faded burn scars. I didn’t realize how intimate the touch had been until his long fingers slid over mine and I could see the comical difference in our size. He didn’t pull away, though, which was…interesting.

“Yeah,” he said a bit softly. “It was, uh, a long time ago. Before I knew about Maggie.”

I set the coffee aside and pushed up his sleeve, noting how far along it went, up his wrist, then it stopped as if he’d stuck his hand in a jar of fire or something. Curious. His skin was very warm and rough mostly, but not everywhere. More scars on his forearm, but smaller, just dotted along here and there, clearly still healing. I’d never met a man with so many scars.

“Maggie tells the best stories,” I said quietly as I flipped his arm over and counted the marks. “Mostly about you. I figured it was just her imagination, but seeing all this…”

I risked a glance up at him. Harry’s expression was somewhere between guarded and hungry. “How much don’t I know about you, Harry?”

“A lot,” he said.

“Do I want to know?”

His lashes fluttered when my fingertips touched his bicep. “Maybe.”

His fingers wrapped around my forearm, his thumb grazing my elbow.

I shuddered. I…hadn’t been touched in a while. The air felt thick. We were both breathing a little bit harder than the situation called for.

“Yoo-hoo!”

Harry and I leapt apart as Winona’s crooning voice floated from the door as it slid open. She had her thirst trap dress on—the violet one with the plunging neckline—and she gave Harry her best Desperate Housewife smile. “Oh, Nat, there you are! And look who you’re with! I’m so glad you two are becoming such good friends.”

“Right,” I muttered as I tried to shake myself out of the trance. “Um, we just had to discuss a few things regarding Maggie. I think he needs to get going, right?”

“Yeah,” Harry said. “Thanks for inviting me. I learned a lot.”

“So did I.”

He sent me a brief, searching look. He hesitated since we had an audience, but still reached out and touched the back of my arm in a fond pat. “Take it easy, Natalie.”

“Good night, Harry.”

He nodded to Winona and left, not quite hurrying, but his pace brisk. I finished my coffee and headed out as well, but with Winona nipping at my heels.

“Got him all to yourself, have you?” she simpered. “Well? Have you made a move yet?”

I sighed. “I’m not moving in on him, Winona. He’s a parent of one of my kids. I don’t do that.”

“But why?” she whined. “It’s a lot of fun, honestly. Having a little secret. No one has to know about it.”

“No,” I said as I faced her. “But I would know about it and that’s enough. Good night, Winona.”

I pushed the gym doors open and headed to my car. I climbed inside and thunked my head against the wheel, exasperated. “Come on, girl. Get a grip. It’s just a crush. You’ve got this.”

I drove myself home, graded papers until I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer, showered, and collapsed into bed. When I dreamt, it was of Harry, one long arm around my back, slow dancing with me, humming that Mariah Carey song “Honey” under his breath.

Damn it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natalie and Harry chaperone a Halloween dance.

“Oh my _God_. Are Halloween dances always this boring?”

I tried not to laugh into my bottle. “Yes.”

Harry groaned. “I regret everything.”

“Them’s the breaks. I mean, you’re a big guy. No one’s going to stop you if you just march right out of here.”

He sighed, and only his white, painted chin and Adam’s apple were visible from under that enormous black hood. “I know, but Maggie and I made a deal. She’ll try out softball if I stick with the PTA. She knows it’s torture and she’s trying to pay me back for making her try a sport.”

I chuckled. “Smart kid.”

“Yeah, she’s already gotten several over on me by this point, Herm-o-ninny.”

I rolled my eyes. The children had chosen a Harry Potter theme this year, so all the chaperones had to pick a character and dress up. Halloween was actually tomorrow night. We threw the dance early so the kids could have fun but still go trick or treating the next day. There was a sickening amount of candy at this shindig as well as obnoxious pop music, but it did my heart good to see the kiddos having fun.

“Do you not approve of my costume, Mr. Dresden?”

“I like the skirt,” he said quite bluntly. “I just feel weird about it because the first time I saw the girl playing Hermione, she was like…ten years old or something.”

“It is heckin’ weird, right? Time flies.”

I spotted blue silk floating nearby. “Uh-oh.”

“What?” Harry asked.

“It’s your girlfriend at ten o’clock.”

Harry cursed under his breath. “Who’s she supposed to be?”

“Fleur Delacour, of course.”

“Of course,” Harry grunted as he shifted to try and blend in against the back wall. He managed to hide behind a scarecrow when Winona wandered by to say hi and then vanished to continue her search. Harry slunk back next to me. “I swear, she’s like a bloodhound.”

I grinned. “She is liable to hump your leg.”

He choked on a laugh. “Shame on you, Herman. But also yes.”

Finally, the DJ gave me a break; he fired up “Steady as She Goes” by the Raconteurs. I swayed from foot to foot, tapping along to the funky beat, pleased to hear something in my century at last. I muttered the lyrics before I could help it: _Find yourself a girl and settle down, live a simple life in a quiet town, steady as she goes!_

Harry bounced in time to the rhythm as well, eventually nudging my elbow. “Do you dance?”

“Who’s asking?”

He gave me a cheeky skeleton grin. “A Dementor.”

_You’ve had too much to think, now you need a wife!_

“I don’t dance with dead guys.”

_Steady as she goes!_

“How about dancing next to dead guys?”

I shook my head, trying in vain not to smile, but it was pretty pointless. I drained my non-alcoholic butterbeer and tossed it in the recycling bin. “Come on, string bean, before you pester me to death.”

_Well, here we go again, you’ve found yourself a friend that knows you well!_

_But no matter what you do, you’ll always feel as though you’ve tripped and fell!_

_So steady as she goes!_

The rhythm was insultingly easy to dance to, so I swayed on my heels and let myself sink into it. I had to keep it PG in a room filled with tweens, but I couldn’t help the fact that I had on a short grey plaid skirt and thigh highs either. And maybe I wanted to show off just a tiny bit since the big idiot tempted me into dancing with him.

Harry actually moved pretty well for a big guy, staying in step with me at a respectable distance. When we hit the next verse, he caught my hands and spun me around playfully, which made me giggle. I twirled on my toes and his hands landed just over my hips, shuffling in step with me, his smile bright under the black lights and flashing strobes.

_Settle for a world neither up or down!_

_Sell it to the crowd that is gathered round!_

_So steady as she goes!_

Somewhere in there, we’d both started laughing like sugar high children as the song played out, our own little spot in the corner of the dance floor, the world simply falling away for just a few minutes. I hadn’t had this much fun in a while, too stressed out about work, too worried about all the other little things in my life. I’d needed this, just a few minutes to be myself.

_Steady as she goes, are you steady now?_

_Steady as she goes, are you steady now?_

Too soon, the carnival-esque music faded out to be replaced with the dance mix version of “Spooky Scary Skeletons” and so we cut it out. I missed his big hands on my waist almost immediately, and that was dangerous as hell to think about.

“Nice moves, Her-my-own-na,” he teased.

“You’re not so bad yourself, bone daddy.”

Harry beamed at me then and even without seeing the upper part of his face, I knew he’d waggled his eyebrows. “Oh, I like that, say it again.”

I smacked his arm. “Boy, if you don’t _Wingardium Leviosa_ yourself away from me.”

“It’s not _Leviosa_ , it’s _Leviosaaaaaa_.”

I hit him harder that time and he just laughed. After that, we got roped into actual chaperone duties, like checking on the kids, refilling snacks, and providing some relief for the volunteers passing out candy. The dance ended promptly at nine o’clock and we helped clean up the gym. Everyone climbed into their cars and headed home. Harry did the respectable thing and walked me to my car, as we were the last ones out.

“Is Halloween a big night for wizards?” I asked, pretending I wasn’t walking slower than I normally did just to spend more time with him.

“Yup,” he said. “Me especially, since it’s my freaking birthday.”

“Aw, happy early birthday,” I said cheerily, but he just grunted.

“No, trust me, it’s always crap. Dunno if you’re superstitious, but the veil between the living and the dead is basically paper thin on Halloween, so every nasty thing you can think of decides to wreak havoc on Chicago every year on my birthday.”

“Then what do you usually do?”

“Hide in my apartment with the windows drawn if I can. Mostly, though? Get my bony ass kicked.”

“Sorry,” I said. “This will be your first birthday with Maggie, though, right? That should lift your spirits.”

Harry pursed his lips. “I see what you did there.”

I cackled as we reached my car at last. “Good, I was trying.”

I checked my watch. “You in a hurry to get back?”

Harry unwrapped a dark chocolate Lindt truffle he’d pilfered and popped it into his mouth. “Nope.”

That made me feel way too good about myself. I hopped up onto the back of my car and sat, legs crossed, staring up at him intently. “So what’s really going on here?”

“Hmm?”

“I want to know what you mean when you say that you’re a wizard.”

“I mean, I have a card that explains everything—” I kicked him in the side of the leg lightly. His head tilted at an interesting angle and I almost gaped at him as I realized he was staring at my thighs.

“Hey! No free looks until you spill the beans.”

Harry’s head tilted up this time. “Wait, I get free looks if I tell you wizard things?”

I flushed. Damn. I hadn’t thought that one through. “Maybe.”

“Well, that’s an unexpected bonus.”

I sucked my teeth and stole the next Lindt truffle out of his hand. “You’re awful judgmental for a Dementor.”

“That was not judgment, that was genuine curiosity,” he explained. “I’d be glad to tell you what I do. Just not sure you’d want to know. You kind of can’t unlearn this stuff.”

“Curiosity killed the cat.” I ate the chocolate. “Shock me, wizard.”

“Well, most of what I do is keep monsters from trying to turn Chicago into an All-You-Can-Eat buffet, but sometimes there’s the good old-fashioned ‘blow up the city and then take over the world’ scheme.”

I arched an eyebrow. “Oh, is that all?”

He snorted. “You name it, I’ve probably gotten my ass kicked by it: fairies, ghouls, ghosts, demons, werewolves, loup-garou's, Bigfoot—”

 _“Bigfoot?”_ I demanded.

“Actually, no, wait, that’s wrong, he was nice. So was his kid.”

“And I’m just supposed to believe you and not have you immediately committed?”

“Well, that stuff I can’t prove, but there are other things I can prove.”

I pursed my lips. “Is that right?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Okay.” I fished another truffle out of my Hogwarts suit jacket. “This piece of candy says you’re full of shit.”

Harry’s smile gleamed at me under the moonlight. “Alright, you’re on. Ready?”

“Ready to eat my chocolate,” I pretended to sneer. His smile just widened as he took a candy wrapper out of his pocket and held it up.

_“Arctis.”_

The wrapper froze completely solid right in front of me.

My jaw dropped. “What…the… _hell.”_

I snatched it out of his hands to confirm. There was a perfect layer of ice all the way around it, a couple millimeters thick. I grabbed at his arms, looking for some sort of apparatus, but there was just more bare skin and scars under his sleeves.

He chuckled at my utter speechlessness and stuck his hand out. “My winnings, madam.”

“You…” I gave him the candy, still gobsmacked. _“How?”_

“That is a very long story.”

“I will make time for it, trust me.”

Harry unwrapped the chocolate and held it up as if considering something. Then, rather thoughtfully, he brought it up to my lips instead. He leaned in tantalizingly close, his voice warm and teasing, intimate in our dark surroundings.

“I think you’ve already made more time for me than I deserve,” he murmured.

I slowly parted my lips. He slid the chocolate treat inside my mouth, the barest edge of his fingertips touching my lips. I let it melt partially on my tongue and chewed, licking a little bit that had smeared at the corner. Harry licked his lower lip, but didn’t move at all, and somehow, it was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen in my life.

“Well,” I whispered. “I did promise you a free look.”

I uncrossed my legs. Harry inhaled and very softly muttered, _“Fuck.”_

My heart thumped painfully against my sternum. I wanted to kiss the living daylights out of him. I wanted him to run those big hands down my thighs and grab a handful of my ass and just go to town on me. That was stupid, selfish, and reckless. And yet I still wanted it anyway.

“Harry?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you gonna kiss me or not?”

His breathing got very excited then. His voice came out a growl. “No.”

“No?”

“No,” he confirmed. “Because if I kiss you, I can’t guarantee I won’t fuck you on top of your car in the middle of this parking lot and that would be extremely rude of me.”

I almost fell right off the edge of the trunk at that admission. “At least one of us has some self-control.”

“Really wish it wasn’t me.”

I laughed a bit hoarsely. “Ditto. Honestly, I hope wizards can’t read minds because the shit I’m thinking about doing to you right now would completely ruin your opinion of me.”

Harry smirked. “Great, so we’re on the same page, then.”

“Totally.” I sighed. “This was fun, but if it’s not going to happen, then I should get home.”

“There is a loophole.”

“Oh?”

“I definitely can’t kiss you,” Harry purred. Then he slid his hand up the side of my neck to my chin and tilted my head back. “But I am a Dementor. I can still suck the life out of you.”

I started to ask what the hell he meant, but then he locked his mouth on my throat and I completely lost the ability to form actual words.

Jesus fucking Christ.

I hadn’t had a hickey planted on me in a good while, so I’d forgotten the surge of pleasure from the wet heat of his mouth against my pulse. He licked my skin, biting enough to let me feel it all the way down to my toes, and then sucked. Hard.

“Fuck!” I arched up into him, grabbing handfuls of his cloak helplessly, wantonly pressing against his chest, my legs cradling his hips on reflex. Damn him, he was solid and warm all over, lithe and powerful and sinister. He smelled fantastic and his lips were as soft as they had looked. He let out a low, slow groan of pleasure as his lips worked at my skin, bruising it with slow purpose. The combination of pain and pleasure made my toes curl and a flood of wetness pool at my center. I’d never felt anything like it in my life. My eyes rolled back in my head and I nearly went limp in his grasp, completely drunk with bliss.

Dementor indeed.

His work thoroughly completed, Harry dropped smaller, lighter kisses all around the hickey before he let me go. I sat there shivering for a few seconds before gasping out, “Nice loophole.”

He let out a quiet, private little laugh. “Thanks.”

Harry scooped me up and put me down on the concrete, careful to make sure my legs held. I wobbled over to the driver’s side and he popped the door open for me. “Good night, Natalie.”

“Good night, Harry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know, I'm pretty sure I bullshitted that spell, but I couldn't recall if he's ever done anything less powerful than Infriga for an ice spell. Sue me.
> 
> And yes, I know I have anachronistic references that don't align with the timeline. I'm flagrantly fucking with it for the sake of my own amusement.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natalie and Harry reach the point of no return on their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, yes, there are anachronisms in the timeline and I don't care. I do what I want.

_“I just took a DNA test, turns out I’m a hundred percent that bitch, even when I’m crying crazy!”_ I sang lustily as I stuck out one long leg, going after it with the loofa. I honestly didn’t care if it was basic or cliché; I loved a hot bubble bath after a painfully long day. There was a whiskey sour cooling next to me on the rim of the garden tub. I sipped every once in a while. Combined with the lava-hot water, I was probably slightly drunker than usual on a weeknight, but hey, it was about to be holiday break anyway. I’d earned it.

I’d love to say that since Halloween, Harry and I had been responsible adults who talked about the very not okay behaviors we both displayed and squashed the whole thing. We didn’t. Because we were both idiots. He didn’t say anything about it, so I didn’t either. It was a lot easier than thinking about it.

_“Yeah, I got boy problems; that’s the human in me. Bling bling, then I solve ‘em, that’s the goddess in me!”_

I started to sing the next verse, but then the music stopped and my phone vibrated wildly. I frowned at it. It wasn’t that late, mind you, I just typically didn’t get calls around this time unless it was an irrational, irate parent demanding to know why their kid had a 68 in my class or something. Sighing, I dried one hand and hit the Answer Call button. “Ms. Kingston residence, who’s calling?”

“Sooooooooo is it technically cheating if I ask you for the answers to Maggie’s homework since we’re friends now or what?” Harry Dresden asked innocently.

I laughed. I could blame it on the alcohol, but truth be told, that was still pretty funny. “Yes, Harry, that’s still cheating.”

He sighed into the phone. “Damn it. I was afraid of that.”

“It’s _her_ homework, string bean. Why the hell are you doing it at nine o’clock at night on a Thursday?”

“She needed help,” he protested. “I’m not doing it for her, I swear. She just got stuck on a couple questions and I didn’t want her up all night worrying over it, so I sent her to bed.”

I pursed my lips. “Uh-huh. Well, sorry, but that’s an ethics violation and unless you’re going to hire me as a secretary for your office, I’d like to keep my job.”

“What if I offered you dental?”

I snorted. “You couldn’t afford me, mop-top.”

I thought about it. “Actually, I work for a public school. You probably can afford me. With interest.”

Harry laughed. Ugh. That stupid sexy laugh. “Sorry to hear that. You’ve always got a job here if you change your mind.”

“That’s good to know.” I sat back in the water and sipped my drink. “How goes the wizarding?”

“Ungh,” he grunted. “Rough day. What about you?”

“Rough day, but not wizard rough day. Glad we’re almost on break. I’m beat. Got any plans?”

“Yeah, I’m sending Mags out to the farm to see my grandfather. She’ll spend most of the week out there and then be back here for Thanksgiving with the Carpenters. She’s pretty excited about it. I know Mouse is gonna have a ball with all that open space.”

I smiled. “That’s great, Harry.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll go see my folks on Thanksgiving Day, maybe the night before to help my mom prep the food.”

“You cook?”

I sucked my teeth. “Gordon Ramsay ain’t got shit on me.”

Harry laughed again. “I see. What’s your specialty?”

“Candied yams.”

He made a noise that was not quite a growl, not quite a moan. “Holy shit, that sounds good.”

“Okay, I’mma need you to never make that noise again if you want to continue being friends.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” I said after downing the rest of the drink. “Just don’t do that when I’m already naked.”

Silence. Then I realized what I’d just said. “Fuck! Sorry! I’m taking a bath, Jesus Christ, I’m not masturbating or something!”

Harry let out a relieved sigh. “You scared the shit out of me.”

“Sorry, I’ve had some whiskey, my brain is stupid right now,” I continued, cringing. “I hope I haven’t scarred you for life.”

“It would take a lot more than a beautiful naked woman in a bathtub to scar me at this point. You’re fine.”

I glared at the phone. “You think you’re so smooth, don’t you?”

“What?” he asked innocently.

I rolled my eyes. “I’m telling the PTA board you tried to have phone sex with me.”

“I am not having phone sex with you. Have you had phone sex before? Because I assure you it sounds nothing like this.”

“Have _you_ had phone sex before?”

A pause. “Well, yeah.”

I sputtered. “Spill. Now.”

“Nat,” he protested. “That is all kinds of not okay.”

“Hey, you brought it up. It’s too late to turn back now. Tell me.”

He cleared his throat. I could picture him blushing. “Fine. It…was a couple years back when I was still with Anastasia. She thought it would be fun since she was overseas at the time and we hadn’t seen each other in a bit.”

I propped my arms up on the rim of the tub, staring intently at the phone. “And?”

“And it wasn’t what I thought it would be like, actually,” he admitted. “It was pretty hot. I thought it would be weird or awkward, but she was good at it.”

“Interesting. Good to know you’re up for that sort of thing.”

“Uh-huh. Why’s that?”

“No reason,” I lied breezily. “It’s just good to be open minded about sex when you get to be our age.”

“Yes, that’s how you get to a point where you’re talking to a naked woman in a bathtub about phone sex,” he said dryly, and I laughed.

“Hey, you called me, buster.” I paused and nibbled my lip. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Naturally.”

“Are you really stuck on homework?”

He paused. Cleared his throat. “Not really. I finished it a while ago.”

“So you just wanted to talk to me?”

Another awkward pause. “Yeah.”

I smiled and shook my head. “That’s allowed, you know. You don’t need an excuse.”

“It doesn’t feel like it is,” he muttered.

I sighed. “Harry, we’re not fucking each other. You don’t have to feel guilty if you like me a bit.”

“That’s the fun part,” he grumbled. “God, I can’t stop thinking about you. I can’t stop thinking about that night and where and how I’d have you all to myself. Which I shouldn’t be saying to you, either, but…hell’s bells, it’s been a while since I’ve liked someone so much, you know?”

I licked my lips, my pulse fluttering. I couldn’t recall if I’d ever had a guy be this honest with me. “Yeah, Harry. I know. Trust me. Why do you think I’m taking a bath and getting drunk? I was distracting myself so I wouldn’t do anything stupid tonight.”

“Like what?”

“Invite you over to fuck my brains out.”

His breath caught. “Boy, I’d like that.”

I chuckled weakly. “Yeah, so would I. I think we’ve established the fact that we’re both stupid as hell and we should probably quit tempting fate, but I don’t think either one of us has enough sense to do the right thing.”

“Yeah, I’ve never had sense before. I ain’t about to start now.”

That made me smile. “Good. Neither am I. You can call me if you want. Just hold off on the phone sex, if you don’t mind.”

“I’ll resist the urge.”

I let my head thud back against the rim of the tub, my mouth running off before I could stop it. “Thank God you don’t have a cell phone. I’m definitely drunk enough to send you nude pics right now.”

Harry didn’t say anything for a while. “…coincidentally, do you know if the Verizon store is open right now?”

* * *

The paperwork for Maggie’s advancement was finalized by the time we returned from the holiday break, so the class and I threw her a little going away party and she started her new grade the first week of the new year. Her new teacher, Mr. Hartnett, gave me weekly progress reports and I still met with her to check on how she was doing. She’d definitely opened up since participating on the softball team. It was still tough on her, but I could see that she was having fun in spite of the difficulty, and the softball team immediately dubbed Mouse as their mascot. It was precious.

By now, Harry called a couple times a week just to shoot the shit, no longer needing the homework excuse, and that worked out just fine for me. He explained exactly whatever the hell it was that allowed him to have magical freaking powers, and it was surreal and bizarre and yet somehow it fit into the strange vibe that Chicago had always given me anyway. It was scary to know there were things out there that could scar up someone as skilled in magic as he was, but I tried to take it in stride. My field of vision was so much wider after having met him. It was as thrilling as it was terrifying.

Harry and I included Mr. Hartnett in our weekly meetings, which went swimmingly between the three of us. We’d just wrapped up our evening meeting and Mr. Hartnett had already left, so I closed up the classroom and Harry and I headed to the parking lot.

“Know what I just realized?” Harry asked.

“Hmm?”

“Technically,” he said slowly. “You’re no longer Maggie’s teacher. You’re her consultant.”

“Uh-huh,” I said, pretending I didn’t know any better. “And?”

“And,” he continued. “It wouldn’t be quite as scandalous if I, let’s say, asked you to go get a drink with me or something.”

We reached my car. I lifted my eyebrows. “Or something? What’s that entail?”

Harry smirked. “Oh, you know. Things.”

My stomach trembled eagerly. “I like things.”

He licked his lips. “I figured you did, but I didn’t want to be presumptuous. We could still do it the traditional way, dinner and a movie, if you want.”

“Harry,” I said patiently. “Get your ass in that car and follow me to my apartment before I kill you.”

He grinned down at me. “Yes ma’am.”

I climbed in, fired up the engine, and drove home with a self-satisfied smile on my lips.

Fortunately, my place was in one piece except for some scattered papers and textbooks. I probably could have told him to wait around for me to change into something sexy, but the second I shut the door, he was on me like a wolf in heat and I responded in kind.

He shoved me to the wall and conquered my lips in a kiss that sent a lance of fire right down into my belly and then out into the rest of my limbs. I kissed him back just as enthusiastically, dragging him down to my height by the lapel of his leather jacket, not even remotely stifling myself at the touch of his lips. Damn it all, I’d wanted to kiss him, and it was fantastic. Better than I’d imagined, and I had a very good imagination.

I shoved the jacket off of him. No longer restricted, he dropped enough to grip my thighs and picked me up off the ground entirely. I groaned into his mouth as he brought me up to his height and wrapped my legs around his waist, plunging my hands into his dark hair. He groaned right back as I played with it, running my nails over his scalp, and managed to growl out the word, “Bedroom?”

“Second door on the left,” I mumbled, gesturing vaguely towards the hallway. He marched over to my master bedroom in quick, easy strides, not even breathing hard as he carried me, and for reasons I still don’t quite understand, it just turned me on even more.

By the time he laid me on the bed, all bets were off. I probably should have at least tried to have a little patience, but I didn’t. I wanted him raw and rough and in all kinds of depraved ways, so I tore at his t-shirt while he shoved my skirt up to bunch at my hips. Shirtless Harry was nothing short of phenomenal; lean, solid muscles everywhere accented by faint scars here and there. I twisted into it as he pulled my panties off and sunk two long fingers inside me, eating the moan right out of my mouth. I scratched at his shoulders and then let my hands wander south where they’d been wanting to go. I unbuckled his belt, undid his jeans, and found my prize. Harry exhaled hotly against my lips as I stroked him to the same rhythm of his fingers inside me, both of us frantic with need by now. He let go enough to grip my knees and push me completely onto the rumpled bedspread. I swung my legs up on either side of him as he caught my wrists and pressed them flat to the mattress with a feral growl. He drove into me in a smooth, precise, devastating thrust and the whole world quit spinning for a second.

God save me. It felt so fucking _good._

“Natalie,” he murmured in question, his lips still tangled with mine, and that was all I needed.

“Yes,” I whispered emphatically as I pushed my hips up against his pelvis, inviting him to have more of me. “Yes, Harry.”

He adjusted himself slightly above me, securing those big hands over my wrists so I couldn’t squirm away, then slid his hot mouth down to the spot where my hickey had been. He kissed it gently, patiently, listening to me sigh in relief.

And then he fucked my brains out, just the way I’d wanted.

My eyes crossed and then fluttered shut. I bit my bottom lip to stifle a scream, but all it really did was transform the sound into a long, ragged groan of ecstasy as that big cock split me. I couldn’t even pretend like it wasn’t absolutely everything. God, it was. Every thrust hit deep and sent tiny shockwaves darting over my dark skin and out through my fingers and toes. The sharp ache at my very center released its hold over me with every stroke, and Harry’s pace was immaculate. I’d known men who rushed things, not really appreciating the sex, and he certainly wasn’t one of them. I could hear his gasps and groans on every thrust, how he canted his hips a certain way when he felt me enjoying it more, how he savored the taste of my sweat and the sweetness of my skin in every kiss he pressed to my throat.

It was mere minutes and he had me wriggling like an eel against him, my orgasm nipping at my heels, way too fast, way too good, way too consuming. He was working me over like it was his career, for God’s sake, and I’d never had that before in bed. Hell, I couldn’t get myself off this quickly when I was alone.

He must have noticed; the bastard crawled up higher and kissed me, that toe-curling baritone playful in my ears. “Natalie.”

“Mm, what?” I slurred.

“You’re holding back,” he murmured.

I shook my head. “S’been a while. I don’t wanna…mm…end the party too soon.”

“Fun fact,” Harry said as he kissed the spot under my ear. “Wizards have excellent stamina.”

I chuckled hoarsely. “I’m sure that’s what they all say.”

“You know what else they say?” He kissed my lips again. “You’re beautiful…and sexy…and I’d really, really like you to come for me right now.”

I shuddered. “God, don’t.”

“Mm, why not?” he purred. “Are you going to come if I say that, Natalie?”

I bit my lip, swallowing hard as I tried to keep my composure, but his hips did this _thing_ and my toes curled and I started panting like I’d run a marathon as it made me clench around his cock like mad. “N-No.”

“Nataliiiiiiiie,” he teased in my ear. “I want you to come.”

“That’s so not fair,” I whimpered, trying to glare at him, but he just chuckled and kissed me harder as he sped up his succulent thrusts. “God! Harry! Ah!”

I couldn’t help biting his soft lower lip and the way it made him growl just set me off. I spun off the edge into my orgasm with nearly no warning at all, just shaking violently underneath him, sopping wet all the way around that delicious cock of his, moaning his name like I’d forgotten every other word in the English language. My pulse beat along with his where we were connected. I floated off into the ether for several minutes and returned to awareness when he kissed my cheek, his smile bright in the dark.

“You’re pure evil,” I insisted. “Absolute irredeemable garbage.”

“Exactly,” he agreed cheerfully in between kisses. “Now you’re getting it.”

I looped my arms around his neck once he let me go and laid a good one on him, not drawing away until he sighed wistfully. “That was worth the wait.”

“God, was it ever,” he agreed.

I grinned up at him. “Think we can actually get our clothes off this time?”

“I’m more than willing to try.”

I shimmied out of my skirt while he took off his jeans, shoes, and socks. Even as he did, though, he couldn’t take his eyes off me. Long denied pride and confidence swelled in my chest as my last bits of clothing disappeared and Harry’s brown eyes darkened further with lust. Damn, it felt nice to be wanted and appreciated by a man again. I knew I placed too much validation in it, but it didn’t change the fact that I’d missed it.

Just to mess with him, I propped myself up on the pillows at the headboard and crooked a finger at him, my smile utterly wicked. He undressed even faster.

Update: completely naked Harry Dresden was even better than partially naked Harry Dresden.

I liked all sorts of men, but there was something about the tall, slender guys that I appreciated in particular. Wiry, compact muscles all over, so proportional, so alluring. I liked the rugged look he had going for him as he climbed back up to meet me, not trying to play it cool and hide how he felt, as if that big cock could even pull that off anyway.

He kissed me once we were level again, wrapping one hand around my throat and stroking it leisurely, which melted me into a little puddle. I traced my nails down his chest and went hunting for our mutual friend, drawing groans out of Harry that I wanted to record on vinyl, it sounded so good. He dropped his lips to my breasts and I lost focus for a moment, arching up into the touch. He teased me plenty with light nibbles and an enticing amount of tongue, and then wandered lower. I whined when our mutual friend was too far out of range, but I didn’t have to for long. He pushed my thighs further apart and then wrapped them around his chest as he settled between them.

“Ah,” I said, blushing profusely. “That’s not, um, you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“Oh, believe me,” he said, a nefarious twinkle in his eyes and a Cheshire cat grin on his lips. “I really want to.”

I almost yelped as he left little teasing bites on my inner thighs before centering his attention the area between them. I chewed my lip, unsure, as I’d had more than one guy who was completely inept at it and almost ruined the mood.

I should have known better.

“Oh dear _God.”_

Harry was anything but inept.

Clearly, he’d done this before. To marvelous effect. He angled an arm across my lower belly so he could settle his hand over my pelvis, his thumb circling my clit with the lightest pressure. Then he gave me a slow, inquisitive lick, waiting for me to relax bonelessly into him. He traced my outer edges and then pushed his tongue inside me.

I grabbed a pillow and shoved it down over my face so he couldn’t hear me scream.

Every nerve in my body turned hypersensitive at once and then drowned in pleasure. Scalding heat filled inside me one glorious minute at a time as he kept going, his lips sucking gently every so often, his tongue swiping patiently to draw moan after moan out of me. The constant, sure strumming of my clit made me convulse beneath him, rolling my hips into his hand and mouth, unable to stop myself. It just felt so fucking good. I wanted to cry. God. Nothing should feel this good.

He broke away and kissed my thighs all over, his breathing deep and fast, excited, but his eyes focused on me with concern. “Nat? You okay?”

I freed myself from the pillow and shook my head, breathless and trembling. “No. Yes. I don’t know, I’ve never…God, I’ve never been with anyone who was this good at it.”

He shut his eyes and hummed, rubbing his stubble against the inside of my right leg. “I could tell. You’re sensitive. I don’t want to overwhelm you if it’s too much.”

I almost didn’t know what to say. I’d never had a lover care this much about my body, about my reactions to him. It startled me as much as it endeared me to him.

I brushed his damp, wily hair out of his eyes. “You have a knack for driving me crazy.”

Harry shrugged a shoulder. “I’d say we’re pretty even on that front.”

I chewed my lip a little before deciding to be honest. “I’ve, um, I’ve never really lost control in bed before.”

“Do you want to?” he asked in a hushed tone.

“Maybe.”

“Okay,” he said, no impatience or selfishness in his tone. “Stop me if I go too far.”

He brought his mouth up to my clit, licking gently, circling it enough to be wetter, and it shot a fresh wave of tingles over my naked skin from head to toe. His thumb returned to its post by the throbbing spot and then his tongue slipped into me again, this time with clear intent to drive me to the brink of madness.

“Fuck!” I sifted my hands into his thick hair and clenched my jaw, trying not to scream, but it was fruitless. I was so wet and the obscene slurp of his mouth on my sex only made me more frantic as I pressed up into his touch. I struggled to breathe, to exist, so dizzy, unraveling with every pass of his lips and every stroke of his tongue. “Oh, God, Harry, there, there, right _there.”_

My spine arched and everything shattered around me as I climaxed. I couldn’t help whimpering as my inner walls contracted again and again, sending pulse after pulse of raw ecstasy racing through my veins. Harry slowed and then eventually stopped, his hands petting my sides as he brought me back down from heaven. I relaxed on the bed one muscle at a time and eased into the afterglow, content as a well-fed housecat.

Harry kissed the spot to the left of my navel. “You okay?”

A set of very hoarse giggles left my throat. “Understatement of the century.”

“Good.” He took his time kissing his way up my belly, my chest, returning to my lips after his were nice and clean again.

“You’re incredible.”

“Likewise.”

I flashed him a slick grin. “Oh, you have no idea.”

I flipped him onto his back, cornering the wizard in my bed. “My turn.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life is sweet for Natalie and Harry.

I’d been wrong before. Harry Dresden was not a snack. Harry Dresden was an all-you-can-eat buffet.

It didn’t hit me until I was sitting astride his waist that I was sorely, deeply, and hopelessly attracted to the man. It wasn’t just his looks, either. There was something about the way he treated me. He listened to me, respected me, respected my opinion, respected how I felt. He hadn’t felt the need to lie to me about anything—at least not that I knew of—not even about his crazy job, which if I had been a saner woman would have driven me off. In my experiences with men, there was a vast difference between being looked at and being seen.

Harry Dresden _saw_ me.

And I liked that a lot.

I didn’t rush this time; I kissed him with the intention of savoring how he tasted and how his lips felt against mine. Harry picked up on that and adopted the same energy, matching how patiently I kissed him. His hands smoothed their way up my thighs and he mapped my curves as if memorizing them. I shivered as I felt the callouses on his fingertips as he circled my nipples and then smoothed his fingers down my stomach. He spread them out over my waist and massaged my soft flesh, relaxing me into him until my thighs rested in the groove of his pelvis, his cock laid bare against his flat stomach.

I sighed against his mouth and smoothed his hair away from his forehead, my eyes drifting open to appreciate him for a second. His expression was calm, at peace, pleased with me. “In case it’s still not clear enough, you are a very attractive man, Mr. Dresden.”

His brown eyes opened and he smiled at me, a bit bashfully, in fact. “Thank you.”

I couldn’t figure out how he’d managed to be both sexy and adorable at the same time. He was awfully self-deprecating, so I got the sense he hadn’t been praised a lot in the past. It was a shame that he didn’t seem to know the effect he had just by being himself. I’d definitely like to enlighten him on that front.

“You’re welcome,” I murmured. “Now are you going to be a good wizard for me?”

His chest rumbled with a suppressed growl. He licked his lips, his voice rough. “I can try, but no promises.”

I smirked. “Does someone have a bad boy streak?”

“I wouldn’t say that,” he admitted. “It’s more like an alpha male instinct that pops up from time to time. I’ve gotten a lid on it by now, but sometimes I slip up.”

“Hmm, that doesn’t necessarily sound awful. It also sounds a bit like you’re still kind of repressed.”

“For good reason. I don’t always have the most gentlemanly thoughts.”

“Such as?”

His eyes glinted dangerously in the moonlight coming in from the window. “Tying you up and fucking you senseless.”

I shivered above him. His tone was so deliciously raw and charged. I was very much interested in that idea. I hadn’t been tied to a bed in years and I got the feeling Harry was rather pent up, which could lead to lots and lots of delightful wicked things. But this was our first night. We needed to learn each other’s habits first before we jumped to the other fun stuff.

“You’ve got quite a mouth on you for a gentleman,” I teased, wiggling my hips just to draw another groan out of him. “I like that in a man.”

“I aim to please.”

“So do I.” I kissed the scar over his collarbone. Harry hissed and arched into me, not having expected it, his grip tightening on me. I ran my fingers lightly over the breadth of his shoulders as I followed the path of tight skin across to his pectorals. I nibbled here and there, tasting his sweat, my tongue tracing over the solid muscles and scars.

“Nat,” Harry panted out, his face flushed, his expression strained.

“Relax,” I told him gently. “It’s alright to let me take care of you.”

I trailed my fingers along his abdomen, just up and down, slowly, stopping when I hit his abs. He shuddered, but didn’t protest, struggling with something internally, I could tell. Sympathy rushed through me. He hadn’t been touched in a long time, from what I could tell. He wasn’t all the way touch-starved, but he was close.

“Harry, it’s okay,” I whispered as soothingly as I could. “It’s okay to want this. Just breathe.”

His jaw clenched at first, but the tension eased out of him one moment at a time. Once his breathing stabilized, I gripped his neglected cock and steadily stroked it. His head rolled back and he let out a ragged groan, squeezing my waist in warning. “Nat.”

“Do you want me to stop?”

“No,” he whispered hoarsely, his eyes with those dilated pupils finally focusing on me. “I just…I don’t know that I can last very long. It’s been a while.”

I nodded. “Okay. How far can I go?”

He let out a shaky laugh. “Guess that depends.”

“Third base?”

Another growl vibrated up along my body. “God, I want it so bad, but I don’t think I can control myself that well.”

“Who said that you had to, Harry? You’re not the only one who wants to deliver mind-blowing orgasms.”

His gaze lowered to my hand’s steady rhythm over his cock. “You’re well on your way there.”

“Why don’t we just give it a try? See how far we get, hmm?”

The rosy flush over his cheeks deepened. I could see him weighing it in his mind, despite how his cock twitched readily under my fingers. I wanted to shake him a little bit. He so clearly needed to feel pleasure and affection, but he denied himself for whatever reason. “Alright.”

I relaxed into my best coy smile. “Good boy.”

Harry’s blush not only deepened, but flooded down his neck as well. I laughed softly. It was very cute.

I scooted down until I had enough room between those crazy long legs of his and settled comfortably. He still remained tense underneath me, so I squeezed his thigh and he managed to loosen up a bit. I sized him up for a moment, since truth be told, I’d never been with a man quite his size before, but I was relatively certain I could take it. After all, I’d been dying to climb him like a tree since we met.

I didn’t want to completely overwhelm him in his current state, so I started off as easily as I could. I pulled the tip inside my mouth enough to wet it. His skin was scalding hot on my tongue, against the inside of my cheek, the texture smooth. Harry unleashed a powerful moan and balled up the sheets under him, his pulse leaping out in his neck. I sucked lightly and let him go, giving him a few breaths to regulate himself. When he calmed, I slid him inside my mouth again, this time deeper, letting him fill it all the way.

“Fuck,” he ground out. “Hell’s bells, Nat.”

I withdrew again, stroking the underside of his cock with my tongue as I came up, and then slid down again, until he hit the back of my throat. The noises it pulled out of him only increased the ache already nestled between my legs. I couldn’t resist sliding a hand down and lightly applying pressure to my slick walls as I settled into it. I couldn’t help myself; I loved vocal men in bed. I savored every single gasp and moan and curse that left him as I worked, gradually speeding up, taking him deeper inside my mouth.

Finally, he reached down and squeezed my shoulder in warning. I let go, though not without an utterly filthy slurp for good measure. Harry slumped back against the pillows in relief, his breath in shallow gulps of air, so deliciously flustered and pleasure drunk that I couldn’t help but giggle. I wriggled my way back up his body and resumed my seat in his lap, lifting an eyebrow. “You okay, tough guy?”

“Just dandy.”

I kissed him. “You did great, Harry. And don’t sweat it. We can always try for longer once we’ve gotten used to each other.”

He reached up and brushed a flyaway curl from against my cheek, smiling. “Thanks.”

“What? For that?”

“No,” he said. “For confirming this isn’t a one-time thing.”

“Oh. Well, yeah, I guess we didn’t say that out loud before, did we?” I cleared my throat, somehow ten times more nervous now than when I’d had his cock in my throat. “This isn’t some itch I needed scratched. I like you, Harry. A lot. In spite of the fact that I probably shouldn’t and we’re both in dodgy territory moral-wise.”

“Definitely,” he agreed. “But…same. I’m crazy about you, Nat.”

I couldn’t stop a dopey smile from overtaking my lips. There wasn’t much more I could say after that, so I just kissed him again. He took my cue and cupped my ass in both hands, squeezing a moan out of me as he lined himself up against my sex. I shoved myself down onto him eagerly, rewarded with another sultry purr out of Harry. I gripped his shoulders hard as he sunk deeper than he’d been before. I shivered once I’d taken the last few inches of him, feeling him pulse from within, stretching me to my limits. My vision softened and blurred a bit around the edges from the hazy cloud of pleasure that descended over me.

Harry immediately struck up a rhythm with me. I swore he had muscles in places other men didn’t. Every single time I completed a thrust, he found a way to angle himself in just the right spot. Moans tore out of me on every breath as he worked his cock into me with the utmost precision, sending shockwaves of bliss racing up and down my spine and out over my sweat-slicked skin. Something inside me wound tighter and tighter with every stroke. He had me dripping wet in mere minutes, fit to burst in no time at all, much to my dismay.

“Goddamn it, Dresden,” I gasped out, trying to twist my hips out of his grip so he couldn’t keep me pinned to him, nailing my spot as if he were trying to win a prize. Instead, he coiled his long arms around me and pulled me flush to him, burying his face in the spot under my ear and biting my neck with a low, aggressive snarl of arousal.

“Mm, it’s too late,” Harry purred, sucking a hickey into my neck as he pushed my legs further apart with his knees. “You’re all mine now, aren’t you?”

He snapped his hips up against mine impossibly hard and then slapped my ass on one side.

Oh my fucking God.

I bit my lip and outright whimpered. I _never_ whimper. He’d just made me see stars, for God’s sake.

“Answer me, Natalie,” he lilted as he licked and sucked another mark into my dark skin, this time over my collarbone. It was all I could do to not scream as he pounded into me mercilessly, and I couldn’t even pretend as if I didn’t love every single second of his rough treatment. My body obeyed his wordless orders, swaying to the same beat, selfishly seeking what he was all too eager to give me. “Are you mine?”

I knew the answer, of course, and I knew that I’d get exactly what I wanted if I played the game, but I still couldn’t help myself. “I’m not.”

Harry chuckled against my throat. “You’re being a very bad girl, Natalie.”

“Yeah? What’re you gonna do about it, wizard?”

“Well, the punishment should fit the crime. I could always put you over my knee.”

I shuddered at that mental image; me bent over, ass up, cheeks cherry red, Harry’s smirk full of dark, lustful satisfaction as one of those big hands gave me another smack. He was going to kill me with all this teasing.

“Or maybe I’ll just pin you down and eat you out again, but not let you come, since we both know how much you like my mouth.”

Oh God. That would be a fate worse than death. I believed he could do it, too.

“Or,” he drawled, this time lifting me higher until we were face to face, his eyes glittering with heat. “You could be a good girl and say it for me.”

Damn him, he was hitting every single one of my buttons. “What’s in it for me?”

He nipped my lower lip. “You’re close. So close I can taste it. And you want me, don’t you?”

Harry flattened a hand between our bodies enough to find my clit with one fingertip. I yelped as it made the pleasure intensify threefold, made me clutch his length inside me even more. “You want me right here, don’t you, Natalie?”

“You stupid jerk,” I groaned out finally, at my wit’s end as I ground down against his hand, the extra friction way too good to pass up. “Yes, I’m yours, Harry.”

The crafty bastard had just been waiting for me to give in. He did that thing with his hips again at the same time he was already teasing my spot and before I knew it, I was writhing and screaming before I sailed off into my orgasm. I sure as hell wasn’t about to let him win, either; I grabbed a fistful of his hair and kissed the living daylights out of him just as the climax hit. Harry groaned into my mouth and joined me over the cliff, clutching me to him almost hard enough to bruise.

The last thing I remembered before I blacked out was laughing into Harry’s neck and saying, “It’s all wizards from this point on” and he laughed right back.

* * *

Fun fact: Harry slept like a rock.

He also liked to cuddle.

Because of course he did.

Since I was a teacher, there really was no such thing as sleeping in; my body kicked itself alert around seven thirty on weekends despite the fact that I’d love to stay in bed until ten. However, I stubbornly kept put to enjoy more of being cuddled by a giant, scary man who punched magical beings in the face and shot his mouth off to gods and monsters, yet had the softest look on his face as he lay tangled up with me in my sheets. I grinned like a fool the whole time, far too content with the knowledge that he could be so cute without realizing it.

Eventually, my stomach rumbled so I had to extract myself from those condor arms of his and go make something to eat. He muttered nonsense and rolled over into my pillow, wrapping around it instead. I chuckled quietly and cleaned up a bit, then padded into the kitchen. I made scrambled eggs with cheese, toast, and sausage as well as some coffee before returning to find the tuckered-out wizard with his head buried under my pillow, snoring. Mr. Dresden was not a morning person, apparently.

I lifted the pillow off of his head and ruffled his hair affectionately. “Come on, big guy. Up and at ‘em.”

Harry yawned and blinked up at me blearily for a second. Then he smiled as if I were an angel that had descended from heaven. “Hey, Nat.”

God, what a cutie.

Harry sat up and stifled a second yawn. “How long was I out?”

“It’s half past eight. You didn’t do too bad for an adult.”

“Mm.” He sniffed the air and gave me a surprised look. “You cooked.”

“Well, I am your host, after all.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

I shrugged. “Was already hungry.”

Harry scooted to the edge of the bed and wrapped his arms around me, kissing my collarbone. “Thanks.”

“My pleasure. Bathroom’s through there if you want to wash up first.”

“You’re an angel.” He let me go and headed there while I returned to the kitchen. He didn’t take long and we ate together in comfortable, companionable silence. Harry cleared the table after and poured us both a second mug of coffee to prep for our upcoming adult conversation.

“Last night was great,” he said warmly.

“Sensational,” I agreed. “But?”

“But,” he confirmed. “We’re going to have to think this through in the long run.”

“Yeah,” I sighed as I sat back in my chair and crossed my arms. “In a certain light, it could be very unflattering for both of us. First off, God help me if and when Winona finds out. She’s going to key my fucking car for stealing her man.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “If she does, I’ll hex her place so that the septic tank blows.”

I snorted. “Can you actually do that or are you just messing with me?”

Harry just waggled his eyebrows mysteriously. I grinned. “I’ll make a note of it. Second off, we’re not…”

I ran a hand through my hair. So far, it had survived last night’s activities, but it was fluffier than usual and I’d need to wash it again. “…fully banned from dating parents, but it is deeply frowned upon. You were right. Maggie is no longer in my class. It wouldn’t be too bad of a conflict of interest since I can’t influence her grades or give her preferential treatment, which is the main concern. In all honesty, I’m more concerned about how she’d take the news than the school board.”

Harry winced. “Well, to be honest, I keep my personal life separated from Maggie as much as possible, given what it is that I do most of the time. There’s wizard stuff and P.I. stuff and then there’s…”

He blew out a breath. “…a whole other set of responsibilities that I won’t get into with you right now. I don’t want that to affect her. She just needs to be a kid and I need to be her father. The best damned father I can manage to be.”

He straightened up a bit in his seat. “But I’m also a grown man and I have a life too. Maggie will have to acknowledge that at some point. I won’t always make choices that she understands or agrees with and vice versa.”

I nodded. “So how do you want to handle it?”

“She adores you,” he said frankly. “Really. I’m not just saying that. I had asked her when I first started being able to pick her up from school at the beginning of the semester and she said you were her favorite teacher. I don’t think she’d react negatively to the news, but it would be good to give her some time to get used to things before we said anything.”

“I thought so too.”

“And there’s no pressure to call this anything yet,” he assured me. “Unless you really want to. I’m happy with your company. We can go out, we can stay in, doesn’t matter to me. I’m not going to jump in the bushes if Maggie or someone from the school sees us.”

I tapped my chin, thinking. “It would be pretty hilarious if you did, though.”

He scooped up my hand and kissed it. “Whatever milady wishes.”

I scoffed. “Watch it, Silvertongue. I’m onto you.”

“And,” he said with total sincerity. “I’m into you.”

My cheeks flushed. “Smooth bastard.”

He squeezed my hand. “I try. So what do you think, Miss Honey?”

I squeezed right back. “I think we’ve got this in the bag, Mr. Dresden.”

I stood and tugged him up with me. “And unless you’ve got plans, we have somewhere else to be right now.”

“Hmm,” he said as he looped his arms around me. “And where is that?”

“Naked and covered in suds. Care to take a shower with me?”

“Think I’ll fit?”

I winked at him. “We’ll make it work.”

Spoiler alert: we did.

FIN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *continues piling nice things onto Harry Dresden, knowing that there are very not nice things planned for him in 2020* Everything is fine. Carry on. I'm not even worried at all about Peace Talks and Battle Ground, can't you tell?


End file.
